A man found guilty two weeks ago of Trafficking in Methamphetamine (more than 200 grams) was sentenced to 22 years in prison Monday, State Attorney Larry Basford announced.
Because of the volume of methamphetamine involved, Christian Samuel Stepp, 53, of Georgia, will serve the first 15 years of that sentence as a minimum-mandatory under Florida’s enhanced drug trafficking statute. Circuit Court Judge Dustin Stevenson also ordered a $250,000 fine.
“This is a significant penalty for someone trying to bring a large amount of methamphetamine into our community,” lead Prosecutor Christopher Walters said. “The traffickers bringing in these extremely harmful substances will continue to find out there is a price to be paid for their choices.”
Walters again thanked the Bay County Sheriffs Office and its Special Investigations Division for its work in stopping these drugs before they could make it to the streets.
The evidence against Stepp at trial included text messages between the defendant and others, and bodycam of the search warrant being served.
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The Sheriff’s Office’s Special SID team served a search warrant in a camper March 14, 2025, near Southport.
The defendant was in bedroom where the drugs were recovered.
Two of the co-defendants – the owner of the camper included – testified against the defendant.
Basford thanked the Sheriff’s Office for its proactive investigative work.
For more information, contact Mike Cazalas at mike.cazalas@sa14.fl.gov, or call 850-381-7454.